I admit it — I’m in denial about the fact that 2023 is rapidly coming to a close. Fortunately, these digital marketing strategies will last well into the future. They represent the latest wave of online marketing.
Unlike traditional marketing, which relies on conventional broadcast channels and physical ads, digital marketing uses online platforms and technology to reach customers. Digital marketing is an evolution in how businesses communicate. It’s more efficient, more affordable, and easier to personalize for customers.
Digital marketing is more of a universe than a single field. Significant types of digital marketing include areas such as search engine optimization (SEO), email, social media, and a whole lot more. It even has complete lead generation customer relationship management (CRM) systems.
But what are the hottest trends right now, and what will be hot tomorrow? These are the most effective digital marketing strategies for 2023 and beyond.
Digital marketing strategies for 2023
These are the methods of digital marketing dominating 2023. They include the most effective social channels, forms of content, and the latest digital marketing tips to expand your reach and marketing capabilities.
Marketing via TikTok and Instagram
The hottest social channels allow brands to connect with their audience in an engaging and creative way. TikTok and Instagram have already proven themselves to be excellent e-commerce marketing strategies, and they’re establishing their relevance for a growing number of sectors.
Make TikTok and Instagram work for your brand with these best practices.
Incorporate short-form videos into your social media content strategy
Bite-sized videos are quick, fun, and incredibly shareable. Use them to build trust and deeper connections with your audience. Provide behind-the-scenes looks, mini-tutorials, and entertaining glimpses into your company’s culture and offerings. Genuine video footage humanizes your brand and enhances your credibility.
“Short-form videos are the way forward. You can cover a lot in a little time! At Constant Contact, we’re always seeking ways to break up our content in a more digestible and entertaining way. The apps have gotten more intuitive, too. For example, on Instagram, you can natively create a reel from start to finish faster than creating a custom image for a social post!” — Jessica Carroll, Senior Social Media Specialist
Target younger generations
TikTok and Instagram Reels are particularly popular among younger generations. In fact, more than 60% of TikTok users are between the ages of 18 and 34.
Creating content that resonates with these younger audiences can foster early brand loyalty. Start building those relationships now to shape the purchasing decisions of Generation Z and younger millennials.
Focus on entertainment instead of promotion
Today’s online visitors are savvy. They don’t always want you to sell them something — they also want to be entertained. That’s why the most successful TikTok marketing and Instagram Reels offer value in the form of entertainment.
Instead of directly promoting your products or services, your social media strategy should focus on creating content your audience will enjoy watching and want to share with friends. This could be anything from funny skits and challenges to DIY hacks and inspirational stories.
Can’t think of the perfect video? Keep your smartphone handy and take pictures and videos throughout the day. A lot of the best content has a spontaneous feel to it, even when carefully edited.
Leverage first-party data
First-party data is information collected directly from your customers. It includes data from behaviors, actions, or interests demonstrated across your website or app.
In an era where privacy is paramount, first-party data is becoming increasingly important. It’s consent-based and transparent. Browsers increasingly block third-party cookies, and Google is phasing them out.
Cookieless marketing has become essential. Reassure your users that you value their privacy and leverage first-party data instead. The advantages are significant.
Personalization
Customers increasingly expect personalized experiences when they visit your website. With first-party data, you can deliver tailored content, recommendations, and offers, improving their overall experience and increasing conversion rates.
Retargeting
Ad retargeting is a powerful way to stay top-of-mind with people who have shown interest in your brand. With retargeting, you can serve personalized ads to people who visited your website but didn’t convert. Bring them back to your site and motivate them to take action.
Predicting customer behavior
With advancements in AI and machine learning, marketers can now predict customer behavior more accurately than ever before. By analyzing past patterns, you can anticipate future actions with the right offers and experiences.
AI automation
Speaking of AI… One of the biggest innovations of 2023 has been the massive integration of AI automation and creation. AI enables you to work more efficiently and effectively.
Constant Contact is all for better, more accessible content. We now offer AI content generation to help generate marketing emails. This not only saves you time but also ensures you optimize your content for the best results.
The possibilities for integrating AI into your digital marketing strategies are vast, including:
AI chatbots for customer service and sales
AI chatbots handle common inquiries, provide product recommendations, and even assist with the purchase process. This provides customers with instant support and frees up your team to focus on more complex tasks.
AI-driven customer segmentation
As you continue to measure the impact of your digital marketing, you collect data on key metrics of your success. AI can combine this information and apply predictive analytics to identify likely groups faster and more accurately. It can also uncover new segments that share similar attributes, allowing you to expand your reach and sort your existing into lists for better targeting.
Influencer Marketing
Partner with influential people to promote your brand to their followers. Influencers can be celebrities, industry experts, bloggers, or individuals who have a large following on social media. There are also different levels of influencers. You can work with micro-influencers for a fraction of the cost you’d pay to work with a mega-star — and often generate equal returns.
Influencer marketing works. 56% of young Americans have purchased a product after seeing a post from someone they follow. The key is to partner with people who align with your brand values and can authentically promote your products or services.
Explainer Videos
An explainer video is a short video that explains your product or service in a simple but engaging way.
Different types of explainer videos include live-action, animated, and whiteboard videos. Live-action videos are great for demonstrating physical products or real people. Animated videos are ideal for explaining complex concepts in a fun and digestible way, while whiteboard videos involve drawings on a whiteboard and are perfect for educational content.
Creation is easier than you think. Explainer video software comes at a variety of price points (including $0) and with intuitive dashboards for efficient creation.
Digital marketing strategies beyond 2023
New trends and technologies emerge all the time. As we look beyond 2023, these are the strategies you’ll want to watch as you market your small business.
Social Selling
Social selling leverages the power of social media to build meaningful relationships with potential customers. It’s all about connecting, engaging, and providing value to your audience as part of the sales process.
These are the necessary steps to incorporate social selling into your digital marketing strategies.
- Build relationships with prospects: Forming personal connections with potential customers. Fostering trust and engagement through genuine interactions sets the foundation for a robust, long-lasting relationship.
- Listen and monitor: Listening to social media conversations allows you to identify opportunities to offer valuable insights. This active participation demonstrates that you genuinely care about your audience’s concerns.
- Share content: Articles, videos, and blog posts position you as an industry expert. Tailored content addressing your audience’s needs and interests drives engagement and fosters trust.
- Personalize: People want you to treat them as the individuals they are. Personalizing interactions and content for individual prospects makes communication more effective and meaningful. It shows that you understand and value each prospect’s unique needs and preferences.
- Engage: Active engagement is key to successful social selling. By commenting, answering questions, and participating in discussions, you can build rapport and trust with your prospects.
- Manage long-term relationships: Continued engagement, even after a sale, ensures customer satisfaction and loyalty.
- Track: Use analytics tools to track interactions and measure engagement. You can then make data-driven decisions about your social selling campaigns.
Signal-based marketing
Signal-based marketing is one of the fastest-emerging digital marketing terms. The practice relies on available “signals,” which are essentially data points that provide insights into a customer’s behavior, interests, and preferences. With platforms such as Google Analytics, you can track customer interactions across multiple touchpoints.
Combining these signals with machine learning and AI technologies allows brands to deliver highly relevant and personalized marketing messages. For example, if a customer frequently visits a particular product page on your website, that’s a strong signal of interest in that product. You might send them a personalized email offering a discount on that product or use text message marketing to recommend related resources.
Metaverse Marketing
Metaverse marketing is a complex blend of virtual and augmented realities where users can connect, play, and transact.
Metaverse marketing represents a significant shift away from traditional advertising towards more experiential and thrilling brand engagements. Brands can reach a larger audience, establish their digital footprint, and drive revenue growth.
How can you adapt your online marketing best practices to fit the metaverse marketing concept? Only time will reveal the full extent of this paradigm shift. Still, a key selling point of metaverse marketing is the ability for individuals to claim greater identity and agency as a netizen.
Create more personalized and interactive content while encouraging user-generated content (UGC) and peer-to-peer community between brand followers. Live content should also appeal to a world that emphasizes porous boundaries between “real” and virtual spaces.
Embrace tomorrow’s digital marketing strategies today
Start leveraging these new digital marketing strategies for your brand.
Don’t scorn old friends as you make new ones. Digital marketing mainstays are going nowhere. It’s still hard to beat the benefits of email marketing when it comes to ROI and personalized communication. That said, understanding the trends gathering momentum positions you to seize advantages before your competitors do.
Start by identifying one of the hottest strategies that you could incorporate into your digital marketing. What makes sense for your brand? Could you benefit more from AI or first-person data? Should you rethink the types of content you create for social media, integrating short-form video, influencers, or comprehensive social selling? Or maybe you want to push into the metaverse with an AR sampling of your products.
Once you’ve made your choice, dive right in. Tips and tricks can only do so much. Sometimes, the best way to learn is by doing. And by the time the rest of us catch up, you’ll be a pro.
